A student of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, has reportedly attempted suicide following uncertainty surrounding the Rivers State Government scholarship programme for students of the institution.
The student’s mother disclosed the development on Thursday during a protest by parents of affected students at the Rivers State Government House.
The mother said her daughter became severely depressed after the state government cancelled a screening exercise for shortlisted scholarship candidates, adding that the situation led to the reported suicide attempt.
On October 19, the Rivers State Ministry of Education invited shortlisted candidates for a state screening exercise but later cancelled it without explanation.
Other parents at the protest expressed concern that the uncertainty surrounding the programme had left their children frustrated and unsure of their educational future.
They noted that admission processes in most universities had closed for the 2026/2027 academic session, raising fears that affected students could lose their opportunity to continue their studies.
The parents appealed to the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and other lawmakers to intervene and persuade the state government to allow students who had secured admission and completed the required screening to benefit from the scholarship.
However, neither Governor Siminalayi Fubara nor any government official addressed the protesting parents.
The controversy surrounding the scholarship programme became public in September after the Rivers State House of Assembly removed a proposed ₦6 billion allocation for PAMO students from the state’s 2026 budget.
The lawmakers reportedly raised concerns about the management of funds previously released under the scholarship arrangement.
PAMO University of Medical Sciences, however, rejected the allegations, maintaining that it had fulfilled its obligations under the scholarship agreement.
The institution also stated that the programme was administered through the Rivers State Ministry of Education and not through direct budgetary allocations to the university.
The parents are now calling for urgent government intervention to resolve the uncertainty and prevent affected students from losing their academic opportunities.
